Intermittently and selectively illuminated ball



H. F. DEYERL Feb. 21, 1967 INTERMITTENTLY AND SELECTIVELY ILLUMINATEDBALL Filed April 23, 1964 R O T N E V W AZZQMAN f. DEYEEL BY gawwuwwATTO/QA/EYE' 3,304,651 Patented Feb. 21, 1967 3,304,651 INTERMITTENTLYAND SELECTIVELY ILLUMINATED BALL Herman F. Deyerl, Ann Arbor, Mich.,assignor to R. J. Reynolds Manufacturing Co., Ann Arbor, Mich, acorporation of Michigan Filed Apr. 23, 1964, Ser. No. 362,009

' Claims. (Cl. 46-228) The present invention relates to electricaldevices adapted to be energized intermittently in response to movementthereof, and which has for one of its applications an intermittentlyilluminating toy ball.

It has been known previously to manufacture toy balls, and the like,which are adapted to be intermittently illuminating by virtue of theirmovements. However, such products have not proved to be entirelysatisfactory for various reasons, among which are their susceptibilityto breakage because of excessive parts, lack of strength relative to therough treatment they are apt to receive from children, excessive costfrom the standpoint of materials required in their production and oflabor costs, and the like. The present invention has been developed toovercome these shortcomings, not only in the field of illuminating toys,but also in connection with other electrical devices which may haveelectrical elements therein adapted to be energized selectively becauseof movement of such electrical devices.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an electrical devicewhich has a plurality of electrically responsive elements and a switchmeans which is responsive to movement for causing such elements to beenergized selectively in response to movement of said switch means.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improvedilluminating toy which is adapted to be intermittently illuminated byvirtue of a switch means therein which is responsive to movement of thetoy.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide animproved toy of the foregoing character which is constructed andarranged so that it has a minimum of moving components.

' It is still another object of the present invention to provide animproved toy of the foregoing character which contains its own source ofelectrical energy and which is constructed and arranged so that theswitch will automatically open the electrical circuits to allilluminating elements when .the toy is in its normal rest position.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toy ofthe foregoing character which has additional manually actuated means fordisconnecting manually the source of electrical energy from theilluminating elements of the toy.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toy ofthe foregoing character which is constructed and arranged to have aplurality of sections on its surface which are adapted to be illuminatedin response to movement of the toy, and which sections have variousattractive configurations and color patterns.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toyball of the foregoing character which has internal structuralarrangements which facilitate constructing the ball in an economicalmanner, and which ball when so constructed is relatively sturdy andunlikely to be damaged by rough treatment of children.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views.

. In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a toy ball embodying one form of thepresent invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged top plan view of the ball with the upper half ofthe outer housing removed and with certain electrical conductors omittedfor reasons of clarity;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical section of the ball taken on the line 33 ofFIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary schematic wiring diagram of the electriccircuits in the ball.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also,it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employedherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

Referring now to the drawing, a more detailed description of theinvention will be made. The intermittently illuminating device or toyball 10 has a hollow housing 12 which is formed from two plastichemispheric shells l4 and 16 which are suitably joined or sealed attheir abutting edges 18 and 20. Attached to the inner surface of thehousing and forming a part thereof is the masking member or material 22which has cut out portions or omissions therein leaving a plurality ofsections 24 therein through which light can be transmitted. Mounted onthe inner surface around the peripheries of the sections 24 arepartitions 26 which in conjunction with the sections 24 provide aplurality of enclosures 28 at selected portions of the inner surface ofhousing 12 through which light can pass.

As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the shape orconfiguration of the sections 24 can be varied without departing fromthe scope of the present invention. It is alsocontemplated that lighttransmitting panels 30 will be mounted in the enclosures 28 to provideattractive configurations and colors to be seen through the sections 24.Suitably mounted behind the panels 30 and within the enclosures 28 are aplurality of electric lamps 32, which are adapted to be intermittentlyilluminated, as will be described.

Extending coaxially into the lower hemispherical shell 16 and inperpendicular relation to the plane containing the edges 18, 20 is atubular compartment 34 which is suitably afiixed to shell 16. Thetubular compartment 34 is constructed to contain a source of electricalenergy such as the battery 36, and to support on its exterior peripherythe annular printed electrical circuit board 38 and on its axially innerend the mercury switch device 40.

The mercury switch device 40 includes a closed casing 42 which has asmooth, uninterrupted inner surface through which project a plurality ofpairs of spaced contacts 44, and freely movable within said casing 42 isa globule of mercury 46. The latter is adapted to move within the casing42, and by virtue of such movement to bridge indescriminately the spacebetween one or the other of the spaced contacts 44 thereby closing anelectric circuit across such contacts. As will be explained, the variouspairs of spaced contacts 44 are in circuits respectively with differentones of the lamps 32 so that bridging one of the pairs of spacedcontacts 44 will have the effect of closing a circuit to the lamp 32associated with such one pair of spaced contacts 44. For this purposepairs of conductors i8 and are electrically connected to the spacedcontacts 44 and to the circuit board 38.

The battery 36 is also electrically connected to the circuit board 36.As shown in FIGURE 3, the mercury switch device 40 is supported on theend of the tubular compartment 34 by an electrically conductive screw 52which projects into compartment 34 and is adapted to be engaged by theterminal 54 of battery 36. The screw 52 is also electrically connectedby nut 56 and conductor 58 to circuit board 38. In like manner the baseor other terminal 60 of battery is connected to circuit board 38 viascrew 62, spring 64 and conductor 66.

As can also be seen in FIGURE 3, the lamps 32 are also connected tocircuit board 38 by pairs of conductors 68 and 70.

Attention is now particularly directed to FIGURES 2 V and 4, for adescription of the remainder of the circuitry of the illustratedembodiment of the invention. As there shown, the circuit board 38, hastwo concentric conductors 72 and 74. Battery 36 is connected toconductor 72 by conductor 66 and to conductor 74 by conductor 53.Conductor 50 from each of spaced contacts 44 of mercury switch 46 isconnected to concentric conductor 72, while the other conductor 48 fromeach of spaced contacts 44 is connected to the conductor 70 which leadsto the lamp 32 associated with such pairs of spaced contacts 44. Theother conductor 68 from each lamp 32 is connected to the otherconcentric conductor 74.

Thus, when the mercury globule 46 is caused to move to bridge one of thepairs of spaced contacts 44, an electric circuit will be closed acrosssuch cont-acts 44, through conductors 48 and 70, associated lamp 32,conductors 68, 74 and 66, battery 36, and conductors 58, 72 and 50, thuslighting associated lamp 32.

From the foregoing description it can be understood that when toy ballis rolled or moved, the movement will cause the mercury globule 46 tosuccessively bridge different ones of the spaced contacts 44, therebysuccessively illuminating different ones of the lamps 32.

I In order not to unnecessarily discharge battery 36- when the toy ball10 is not in use, the center of gravity of the toy ball 10 has beenlocated away from the geometric center of the ball 10 so that the latterwill normally gravitate to a rest position such as that shown in FIG-URE 3, and in this position the mercury globule 46 is out of bridgingrelationship with respect to all of the spaced contacts 44, thusassuring that none of the lamps,

32 will be energized when in this position The toy ball 16 may also bemanually rendered inoperative merely by partially unscrewing the screw62 to an extent such that battery 36 is out of contact with one or theother of screws 52 or 62. When the screw 62 is so loosened, the toy ball10 can be left in a position wherein the mercury globule 46 bridges anyof spaced contacts 44 without a closed circuit existing through thebattery 36. Merely screwing the screw 62 back into a snug positionagainst battery 36 so that the latter is in engagement with elements orscrews 52 and 62 will again render the electric circuit operative forintermittently illuminating the toy ball 10 on movement of the latter.

From the foregoing description, it can be understood that the onlyinternally movable part in the toy ball 10 is the single globule ofmercury 46, thus assuring maximum resistance to breakage due to roughtreatment or the like by young children. Also, the toy device 10 has anormal position wherein its electrical circuitry will be deenergized andadditional means are provided to manually render the circuitry operativeor inoperative.

It will also be understood that the mercury switch device 40 can be usedin other toys or devices in which it is desired to energize electricallyvarious elements in response to certain movements of the switch device40.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An intermittently illuminating device com-prising a hollow housinghaving sections with light transmitting properties in its outer surface,partitions within said housing separately enclosing each of saidsections and defining with said sections a plurality of separateenclosures, electric lamps positioned in each of said enclosures, asource of electrical energy carried within said housing, a mercuryswitch device supported within said housing, and electrical circuitmeans separately interconnecting said source with each of said lampsrespectively through separate pairs of spaced contacts in said switchdevice, said switch device including a closed casing in which a globuleof mercaury can move freely, said pairs of spaced electrical contactsextending into said casing and being adapted to be bridged selectivelyby said globule of mercury for selectively energizing the lampassociated with the bridged pair of contacts.

2. An intermittently illuminating toy ball comprising a hollow sphericalhousing having sections with light transmiting properties in its outersurface, partitions within said housing separately enclosing each ofsaid sections and defining with said sections a plurality of separateenclosures, electric lamps positioned in each of said enclosures, lighttransmitting panels with indicia thereon positioned between said lampsand their associated sections, a source of electrical energy carriedwithin said housing, a mercury switch device supported within saidhousing, and electricalcircuit means separately interconnecting saidsource with each of said lamps respectively through separate pairs ofspaced contacts in said switch device, said device including a closedcasing in which a globule of mercury can move freely, said pairs ofspaced electrical contacts extending into said casing and being adaptedto be bridged selectively by said globule of mercury for selectivelyenergizing the lamp associated with the bridged pair of contacts.

3. An intermittently illuminating toy ball comprising a hollow sphericalhousing having sections with light transmitting properties in its outersurface, partitions within said housing separately enclosing each ofsaid sections and defining with said sections a plurality of separateenclosures, electric lamps positioned in each of said enclosures, asource of electrical energy carried within said housing, a mercuryswitch device supported within said housing, and electrical circuitmeans interconnecting said source with said lamps through pairs ofspaced contacts in said switch device, said device including a closedcasing in which a globule of mercury can move freely and said pairs ofspaced electrical contacts extending into said casing and being adaptedto be bridged selectively by said globule of mercury for selectivelyenergizing the lamp associated with the bridged pair of contacts, saidtoy ball having a center of gravity offset from the geometric centerthereof so that said ball will have a normal rest position, said pairsof spaced electrical contacts being oriented so that when said ball isin its normal rest position the globule of mercury will be at rest insaid closed casing out of bridging relationship with respect to all saidspaced electrical contacts.

4. An intermittently illuminating toy ball comprising a hollow sphericalhousing having sections with light transmitting properties in its outersunface, partitions within said housing separately enclosing each ofsaid sections and defining with said sections a plurality of separateenclosures, electric lamps positioned in each of said enclosures, asource of electrical energy carried within said housing, a mercuryswitch device supported within said housing, and electrical circuitrneans separately interconnecting said source with each of said lampsrespectively through separate pairs of spaced contacts in said switchdevice, said device including a closed casingin which a globule ofmercury can move freely, said pairs of spaced electrical contactsextending into said casing and being adapted to be bridged selectivelyby said globule of mercury for selectively energizing the lampassociated with the bridged pair of contacts, and manually operablemeans for electrically disconnecting said source of electrical energyfrom said lamps.

5. An intermittently illuminating toy ballcornprising a hollow sphericalhousing having sections with light transmitting properties in its outersurface, partitions within said housing separately enclosing each ofsaid sections and defining with said sections a plurality of separateenclosures, electric lamps positioned in each of said enclosures, atubular compartment extending radially inwardly from the surface of saidhousing, a battery supported in said compartment in a positionotf-center of said ball, a mercury switch device supported within saidhousing, and electrical circuit means interconnecting said battery withsaid lamps through pairs of spaced contacts in said switch device, saiddevice including a closed casing in which a globule of mercury can movefreely and said pairs of spaced electrical contacts extending into saidcasing and being adapted to be bridged selectively by said globule ofmercury for selectively energizing the lamp associated with the bridgedpair of contacts, said pairs of spaced electrical contacts beingoriented so that when said 'ball has gravitated under the influence ofthe oil-center battery to a rest position the globule of mercury will beat rest in said closed casing out of bridging relationship with respectto all of said spaced electrical contacts.

6. An intermittently illuminating toy ball as claimed in claim 5 whereina manually operable means is provided for electrically disconnectingsaid battery from said mercury switch device.

7. An intermittently illuminating toy ball as claimed in claim 5 whereinsaid electrical circuit means comprises an annular printed electricalcircuit board which is mounted on the outer periphery of said tubularcompartment, and electrical conductors from said lamps, said mercuryswitch device and said battery are connected thereto.

8. An intermittently illuminating toy ball as claimed in claim 5 whereinsaid mercury switch device is mounted on the axially inner end of saidtubular compartment.

9: An intermittently illuminating toy ball as claimed in claim 5 whereinsaid hollow spherical housing comprises two hemispherical shells joinedat their edges, said joined edges lying in a plane normal to the axis ofsaid tubular compartment.

10. In a device adapted to be intermittently electrically activated inresponse to movement thereof, a plurality of separate means responsiveto electrical energy, a source of electrical energy, and a mercuryswitch device electrically connected between said source of electricalenergy and each of said separate means, said switch device including aclosed dielectric spherical casing in which a globule of mercury isfreely movable, and pairs of spaced electrical contacts extending intosaid casing adapted to be bridged selectively by said gl-obule ofmercury, each of said pairs of spaced electrical contacts beingelectrically connected to a different one of said separate means forseparately energizing such one separate means when its associatedelectrically connected pair of spaced electrical contacts are bridged bysaid globule of mercury.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,599,208 6/1952Starr 46-228 X 2,903,820 9/1959 Bodell 46-228 3,233,093 2/1966 Gerlat240l0.64

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiner. R. F.CUTTING, Assistant Examiner;

1. AN INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATING DEVICE COMPRISING A HOLLOW HOUSINGHAVING SECTIONS WITH LIGHT TRANSMITTING PROPERTIES IN ITS OUTER SURFACE,PARTITIONS WITHIN SAID HOUSING SEPARATELY ENCLOSING EACH OF SAIDSECTIONS AND DEFINING WITH SAID SECTIONS A PLURALITY OF SEPARATEENCLOSURES, ELECTRIC LAMPS POSITIONED IN EACH OF SAID ENCLOSURES, ASOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY CARRIED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, A MERCURYSWITCH DEVICE SUPPORTED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, AND ELECTRICAL CIRCUITMEANS SEPARATELY INTERCONNECTING SAID SOURCE WITH EACH OF SAID LAMPSRESPECTIVELY THROUGH SEPARATE PAIRS OF SPACED CONTACTS IN SAID SWITCHDEVICE, SAID SWITCH DEVICE INCLUDING A CLOSED CASING IN WHICH A GLOBULEOF MERCAURY CAN MOVE FREELY, SAID PAIRS OF SPACED ELECTRICAL CONTACTSEXTENDING INTO SAID CASING AND BEING ADAPTED TO BE BRIDGED SELECTIVELYBY SAID GLOBULE OF MERCURY FOR SELECTIVELY ENERGIZING THE LAMPASSOCIATED WITH THE BRIDGED PAIR OF CONTACTS.